A FREE internet course in Welsh has stunned its creators, with more than 3,500 learners registering from locations as far afield as Timbuktu and New Zealand.

SaySomethingInWelsh.com – which emphasises the spoken word – was set up by teachers Iestyn ap Dafydd and Aran Jones because of their frustration with more conventional courses.

The site has been inundated with plaudits from people across the world who decided to sign up for what they see as a more user- friendly way of learning the language.

Available in MP3 files which can be downloaded and played at any convenient time, it claims to get rid of time wasted on reading and writing in order to help people learn to speak and understand Welsh far more quickly than is possible with traditional methods.

Iestyn and Aran describe themselves as “serial language learners” who wanted to make sure that cutting edge approaches were available in Welsh.

“I can’t think of a time when I haven’t been trying to learn one language or another,” said Aran, who lives in Pwllheli and is chief executive of the Welsh language communities group Cymuned.

“To be honest I’m pretty bad at learning languages. But I’ve been surprised to see how much difference some of the techniques developed in the last 10 years have made. I can actually just about manage to speak Spanish now, thanks to some excellent new courses. And Iestyn and I agreed that it would be great if it was much easier for people to learn Welsh as well.”

The course is free because it is possible to distribute electronic files for very close to zero cost.

“We realised early on that the work involved in putting the course together, the writing and recording, was something we were happy to do as volunteers just to make sure that this kind of material is available in Welsh,” said Iestyn of Maesycymmer, near Caer- philly.

“It costs us virtually nothing to distribute the course, so we thought it would be a boost to Welsh learners, and to the language itself, if we offered it for free.”

The course is available in both southern and northern dialects of Welsh, to make it accessible to as many learners as possible.

Aran said: “We’re amazed that in not far over six months we’ve got more than 10 times the number of learners that Nant Gwrtheyrn [the premier residential Welsh language learning centre in North Wales] gets in a good year.

“I think that shows the huge importance of the internet to the future of Welsh for adults,” he added.

“We’ve also set up a Google Map where learners can tag themselves, at www.saysomethinginwelsh.com/map, which is interesting for now, but potentially quite important as it makes it easier for learners to see who else in their area is learning – something they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to see.

“And something which might help people to get together for informal practice sessions down the pub, etc.”

Many of the learners either live in Wales or have Welsh family connections, but a significant proportion do not.

One American learner wrote a message on the website’s forum saying: “It all started one fall morning when my English teacher started speaking to us in his native language: Welsh. I found the sounds he made intriguing; I’m not used to hearing someone blow ‘lls’.

“Once he told us what it was he was speaking, I made it my job to find out all I could about this language. I Google’d everything I could to find online courses for the language. And I found it.”

Dan Rhys of Santa Clarita, California, said: “I am an American of Welsh ancestry, and I cannot tell you the incredible joy I get out of being able to formulate sentences in my ancestors’ language, and to do it so smoothly and confidently thanks to your lessons.”

Dafydd Morgan Lewis, a spokesman for Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, said: “We get a lot of inquiries from people in England especially, asking where the nearest centre is where they can learn Welsh.

“This initiative will suit them down to the ground.

“It’s excellent to hear it’s so successful, and I hope it catches on in Wales as much as elsewhere. Learning via the internet is an excellent way to help the language thrive in the future.”